SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Chandigarh golfer Aadil Bedi along with another Chandigarh golfer Abhijit Singh Chadha earned his Asian Tour card by finishing in the top 35 golfers in the Asian Tour Q-School which concluded in Hua Hin, Thailand, on Sunday. Bedi (67-72-68-69-63), the youngest player to tee up in the final stage of the five-round Q-School, fired a sensational eight-under-63 in the last round to finish tied ninth at 16-under-339, the best among the Indians, to earn full playing rights in Asia. It was the Chandigarh-based teenager’s maiden attempt at qualification.
Bedi, one of India’s leading amateurs prior to turning professional this year who also represented the country at the 2018 Asian Games, gained 27 spots from his overnight tied 36th as a result of his bogey-free final round of 63 at the Lakeview Resort and Golf Club in Thailand on Sunday.
Three other Indians — 23-year-old Aman Raj, former Asian Tour winner Chiragh Kumar and Abhijit Singh Chadha — also earned their Asian Tour cards after finishing inside the top-35 players and ties at the end of the fifth and final round of the 2019 Asian Tour Qualifying School’s Final Stage. “I lost a dear friend on the first day back home. It was tough mentally, but I managed to play well and I’m glad that it has all come together. I had that belief in myself and that I have the game to earn the card. Now that I’ve earned the card, there’s more purpose in my practice and I’ll be definitely looking forward to the tournaments that I get to play in. It was difficult to focus at times. When there are long waits between holes, or between rounds at night, I think about my friend. But it was a good week. I’ve played really solid in all parts of my game,” said Bedi, who is a student of Vivek High School, Chandigarh.
Apart from Bedi and Chadha, 23-year-old Aman Raj and former Asian Tour winner Chiragh Kumar too secured their Asain Tour card for next year by finishing in the top-35 and ties.
